Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-09-23
TORIES TO BLAME.
The Riots the Result of Their Irish
Policy.
HareOurt Severely CenSmes the Coy
ernment.

The Right of Public Meeting Denied il
Ireland Alone Mr.. Balfour
Thinks the Tory Policy
VIII ''Conciliatc''
the Irish.
LONDON, Sept. 12.-Is the house of com
| mons this afternoon on motion to go in
to committee on the appropriation bill
! Sir William Vernon Harcourt, Liberal
| called attention to the general policy OF
the government in ireland, especially
to the invasion of the rights of the people
respecting the rights to hold public
meetings. He demanded that tie house
| be informed of tie nature of the instruct
ions given the police in Ireland regarding
| the line of action they are to pursue in
respect to public meetings; also whether
! the report is true that Gen. Sir Redvers
| Butler resigned the post of under-secre.
| tary for Ireland, and what we're the
reasons for his resignation. He claimed
| that the Irsh people possessed in common
with the English the right to meet and
| derounce the action of the legislative
| branch of the government, and declared
that the attempts TO prevent the holding
of such meetings violated the common
law and constitution and were fiagrant
! breach and denial of the fundamental
principles OF both, and wholly incompati-
BILE with the existence of free government
or the rights of free people.
TORY ADVICE.
Some Tory journals had suggested that
m achine guns ought to be used against
the Irish people. (Cries of "What pa
perry "St. James Gazette" answered
the speaker, adding, "a typical Tory or
gan" The most detestable and scandal
GUS language had been used by the Times.
Sir William went on; for the express pur-
pose of driving the Irish to revolt; Ian
guage such as never before degraded the
press of free country. If the
advice of the Unionist papers had been
followed, what. between machine
guns, evictions and Troy landlords, soon
very few Irish people would be left. He
was confident, he said the Irish people
would persist in the prudence and calm
ness they had already exhibited. Let the
government try the experiment of their
new doctrine upon the people of Eng
land. The country would make short
work of them. The heart OF England
was with the Irish in vindicating the right
of public meeting and would support them
until justice was done. The meetings
must continue to be held in all parts of
Ireland. Parneliite cheers. The
governments dread of public meeting
wruld seal the doom of their Irish policy.
SURPRISING MEETINGS.
Referring to Sir Williams contention
that the suppression of public meetings
was Illegal, Mr.. Balfour said he did not
know at what period Sir William lost his
knowledge of law, but it was a matter of
| history, under the common law of Ire.
| land, Sir William himself acted with
! Gladstone and Forster in proclaiming
130 meetings. (Cheers.) 1t was again and
again stated, when these meetings were
proclaimed, THAI the act of 1882 did not
contain any new powers. The question
really was, not whether the governments
action was legal, but whether it was poll
| tic.
Regarding the Mitohelstown affair, Mr.
| Balfour said it had been clearly aScer,
tanned that the action of the police was
in the face of extreme provocation
| Cries of "Oh," "Oh"l. The police were
assaulted with stones and blackthorr
sticks before they drew batons. Cries
of no" "No." Not until they were
thrown into a crowd of horsemen, mum
| Der wounded and the rest forced to fly
for their lives did they protect them
selves. The government believed in 6
firm administration of tho law. They
must expect little assistance from the op
position, but undismayed by criticism
and with courage mistaken they woulC
preserve in a course that must end in the
conciliation of Ireland. Loud cheers.
THE MooNLIGuTERs.
Mr.. Balfour chief secretary for Ireland
announced that telegram had been re
ceived regarding an affray ct Lisdoon
varna last night. The dispatch stated
that five moonlightors kad been captured
Constable Wheelan was killed and thre,
others seriously kurt. number o
rifles and and revolvers and quantity o
ammunition had been captured. Th'
five men arrested were captured insid
of the house of Farmer Sexton. TIVE
more we're identified to-day. Farme
Sexton, whom the gang meant to murder
had been summoned by the league an'
censured and he had promised to sur
render his farm, but he did not do SC
The gang thereupon entered his hous
when the police who lay in ambush sur
prised them.
With regard to Gen. Butler, Mr.. Bal
four said he always acted in perfect har
mony with the present government. Hi
appointment as under secretary fo
Ireland was only temper
airy, AMI he resigned no.
simbly because he desired not to della
his return to the war office and the sup
position that Gen. Buffers retiremen
was due in the slightest degree to tn
difference of opinion with him (Balfour
was absolutely false.